And who knows? Those game reps just might save the day for Denver in the playoffs if injuries befall the backfield.

"I think last week just proves that any of our running backs can go in there and do the job," Ball said Friday following the final practice of Denver's playoff bye week. "When somebody goes down, we have to step in and step up."

That "next man up" philosophy of Broncos coach John Fox evidently has been taken to heart by the team, and especially among the running backs. Denver retained an effective running game (its 114.5 yards per game ranks seventh in the AFC) despite losing starter Willis McGahee to a knee injury in the Nov. 18 home game against San Diego.

McGahee, who may return to practice next week, still finished as the team's top rusher with 731 rushing yards despite missing the past six games. But that doesn't diminish the effectiveness of his replacements.

Despite being inactive for the previous eight games, veteran Knowshon Moreno took over for McGahee. To the amazement of those who had all but written off Moreno, the 2009 first-round draft pick has produced as many 100-yard games (two) in a month and a half as he had during his first three seasons combined.

"That's what a good teammate is," quarterback Peyton Manning said, referring to Moreno.

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The running backs unit certainly has experienced its share of highs and lows. Ronnie Hillman, a rookie from San Diego State, has spent much of the season as the top backup to either McGahee or Moreno. But Hillman lost a fumble in the first half of the regular-season finale against Kansas City and was promptly benched for the remainder of the game in favor of Ball (15 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown) and Hester (seven for 55).

As a team, the Broncos rambled for 172 yards against the Chiefs -- giving the opponent in the Jan. 12 divisional-round playoff game something more to think about.

"I tell you, what those guys did in the last game was really impressive," Broncos tight end Jacob Tamme said of the ballcarriers. "I think our running backs are like the team overall -- they're not worried about, 'Well, this game I didn't get a lot of carries,' or anything like that."

By all accounts, Hillman took his demotion like a man. He told reporters Monday that he deserved it.

Ball would not have expected anything but Hillman being a stand-up guy and voicing accountability. A fourth-year pro, Ball also had short stints with Indianapolis, St. Louis and Tennessee. He said this is the best locker room he has been a part of.

"If you want to say one thing that's great about this team it's that nobody's selfish," Ball said. "That's what you need to have a championship team."

The running game has changed in recent years, Fox pointed out. Whereas ground attacks of the past would ride one horse, using a stable of backs is now in vogue. The physical pounding of getting all the carries can be too much for most running backs to handle, and the risk of injury is too great.

"When I first got to the NFL, teams had one horse and maybe a guy that came in on third down to help him out," said Hester, who played with LaDainian Tomlinson at San Diego in 2008-09. "But now, it's tough to do that. Depth at running back is huge, where even four or five years ago it wasn't. Luckily, they've done a good job of getting (quality backs) in here."

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